Space Shuttle manoeuvres. Tail fin (vertical), thrusters (one either side of tail fin) and cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The thrusters are

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Space Shuttle manoeuvres. Tail fin (vertical), thrusters (one either side of tail fin) and cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The thrusters are firing as they propel Atlantis towards the International Space Station (ISS). Partially seen in the cargo bay is the Destiny laboratory, a module that was later to be added to the ISS during this mission (STS-98, 7th-20th February 2001). The ISS is a joint effort between NASA, the European Space Agency, the Russian space agency, Canada, Japan and Brazil. It orbits at an altitude of 350 kilometres and will be over 100 metres in length. It has been manned since late 2000 and is scheduled for completion in 2004.

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Size: 4565px × 3074px
Photo credit: © NASA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: atlantis, bay, cargo, destiny, earth, firing, flight, international, iss, laboratory, manned, manoeuvre, manoeuvring, mission, orbit, orbital, orbiting, shuttle, space, spaceflight, station, sts-98, thruster, thrusters